Angelic Voice
by Hachi Mitsu
Summary: A sequel to Blood Red, the story continues and Duo is reunited with his past as well the friends he had thought to be dead. But there's more to his past than meets the eye... [ finished!!!!! ^_^ possibility of sequel - read to find out more]
1. Phase One

Angelic Voice

By Hachi Mitsu 

09.08.00 ~ 09.26.00

Phase One

**NOTE: SEQUEL TO "BLOOD RED"**

The breeze still blows about,

Carrying your voice far above,

The chaotic world burning beneath.

Confusion, hatred, anger, seethe.

But only your words still remains clear

Only you, I still can hear

Above all other noise

I still can hear your

Angelic voice.  
  


[Dream]

I was *there* again. That place.

Trapped. All around me. Water. Pressing against me. I can't open my eyes. I can't hear anything but the sound my own breathing. The sound of my heart beating.

I couldn't take it anymore. I wanted to get out. To breath fresh air. Instead of the artificial one fed into my lungs by the thick plastic tubs. But I can't remember anything but being here. In the water. Surely there must be a better place than this. A better future, than to stay here forever.

I reached out my hands. But the only thing they encountered was cold hard glass. Even colder than my heart. Glass all around me. Keeping me within . . .

I had to get out. Out of this watery grave. Yeah. That's what this is. A grave. I tried to open my eyes once more. I don't know why I even bothered. I know what I'll see. Thick bluish green. Color of the water around me. No lights. But I tried anyway.

But this time, it worked. With my last bit of strength, I lifted my heavy lids. But it wasn't what I had expected to see.

The water continued to press against me, but that was forgotten. Because through the long threads of my wavy hair, floating before me, I could see a . . . person? He had the nicest brown hair. Cut short, unlike my impossibly long locks. And the eyes. So blue. So intense that it seemed to penetrate through the heavy water.

Somehow, I found the strength to raise my hand, placing it against the glass. A smile formed on my lips as I saw him look up in surprise. I wanted to reach through the boundary. To touch the other's hair. To feel texture other than the sluggish water and cold glass.

He raised his hands too, pressing it against the opposite side of the glass wall, right where my hands would be, if the glass didn't exist. I felt my eyes widen, as a small smile appeared on his lips. For the first time I can remember, my heart was filled with warmth.

[End of dream]

I sloooooowly pried open my heavy eyelids . . . Then immediately snapped them shut again as they encountered the harsh noon sun. Itaiiiii . . . wait a minute. Noon . . .?

"AHHHHHH!!!!!"

I flung off my covers as I suddenly realized the time. Aw, shit. It was only the 2nd week of school and I've already been late 5 times. Dammit, I'm soooo dead. I bit down a whine as I grabbed a towel. Save the wining for later Maxwell, cause when Baldy sensei gets through with me, that'll be *all* I'll be able to do. Whine about the various broken bones in my body from the nearest ICU.

After a quick shower, twisting my hair into a somewhat decent manner, and stuffing the toothbrush into my mouth a few times, I streaked out my door like a banshee on the loose, complete with an early monsoon, care of my still dripping wet braid.

Crashing through the door of the oh-so-dreaded statistic class, I tried to stammer out some believable excuse for my 5 hour lateness. Ok, forget the believable part, I'll be happy if I can just talk him into a daze, leaving me enough time to slip into my seat.

After a 5-minute ranting marathon, I slowly halted to a stop.

Waaaiiiit a minute, I can't seem to recognize a single person in the class, except baldy of course. 

Blink. Blink.

"Mr. Maxwell, I am aware that you missed your class, but might I clarify that it was first period, which ended about 4 hours ago."

Blink. Blink.

"Gomen nasai bald- anooouu, I mean Baldry sensei! It won't happen again."

Without clarifying *what* won't be happening again, I *slowly* began to back away.

"Good! Now I think you should exit. This class does not need any further disturbances. Unlike you, they are here to *learn*"

"Well, and a good morning to you, too." I muttered under my breath. The door was only a few feet away. Almost there.

"And to you as well, only it's about 1 in the afternoon."

I bolt for the exit.

***

It wasn't until later; during creative writing class did I finally remember my dream. Hey, the class might be a total waste of time, but the brainstorming exercises they mad use do, does wonders for remembering useless information. 

I nibbled on the end of my braid as I gazed out a nearby window. For some reason, it seemed weird that a dream could bother me so much. No matter how much I searched through the musty cavern of my memories, I couldn't place the dream to any even that might have occurred. Which then leaves me wondering why I even cared. It was just a dream, right? Right. And dreams don't mean a thing. So there!

I sighed, rubbing my poor abused eyes with the back of my fists. I sneaked a few furtive glances around the room. No teacher in sight. With a yawn big enough to put Sleepy - from Snow White and the Seven Dorks- er . . . dwarfs- to shame, I buried my face in my folded arms. 

Time for a nap.

"DUO MAXWELL!!!"

"IYAAAA!!!"

"I literally leapt from my chair to face my really pissed off teacher.

"Duo Maxwell, what do you think you're doing?" She barked, impaling my sparkling white- and empty- notebook with her 2- inch ling *glowing* red nail. Whoa, dun wanna mess with her.

"Anooo . . . eto, isn't the best way to be creative when one is on the verge of sleep?" 

"Oh really? In that case, you must have forgotten the assignment all together!"

She said with a half ass attempt to control her laughter. Glad someone's amused.

Actually, I didn't even remember *hearing* the assignment, but then it occurred to me that telling that to her would be jumping from the frying pan and straight into the fires of hell.

With a small eep, I took a step back. Why is that, you ask? Well, if you were faced with a creative writing teacher that looked like she just downed about 5 gallons of sake, with some beer to boot, you'd be terrified too. Besides, she had her nail from hell pointing at *me* now. And frankly I had no desire to suffer the same fate as my poor notebook.

"Er . . . what *was* the assignment?" I tried to be as charming as I could, but was only rewarded by another round of barkish laughter. Hm. I gotta say, she does a hell of an *impressive* imitation of a braying donkey. Heh.

"Baaaaaka!" she drawled, tapping my head with an overgrown nail. "You were suppose to write about your family, and what it is like to live in a boarding school away from them."

I froze, partially from shock, but mostly from the pain that suddenly branched from my heart. Forcing out a sad attempt at a chuckle, I joked. "Oi! That'd be easy. I don't miss them at all because I never met them. And even if I did, its not like I would actually remember!"

She paused, but then continued unfazed. "Quit joking around. What about friends then? From where you transferred from."

The school where the shooting occurred was temporarily closed down. I had expected to be sent off to an orphanage because there was no one to pay my fees if I were to transfer to another school. 

But surprisingly, I was told that someone had paid for me to attend a new school, this one. They even gave me a monthly 'allowance'. Enough to pay for all my classes, clothes, wants and needs. It left me more than a bit suspicious. But I guess in my state of mind, I just really didn't care anymore. 

Suddenly, I felt tired.

"Gomen Fusuchin sensei, but I really don't know what to say. Maybe they haven't told you, but everyone I know is dead." The pain, from before, had washed over me. But I felt strangely numb.

"Fusuchin sensei, he's telling the truth.

"Haven't you heard?"

"He has amnesia."

"The shooting."

"All those people dead."

Soft voices from all around the room. I couldn't catch half of what they said. It was hushed, sad.

God, I couldn't' stand this anymore. I looked around me. Sensei coming closer. Her mouth moved, but I couldn't hear what she was saying. Or maybe I just didn't want to hear.

Dead. Dead. Dead.

The mantra seemed to crawl through my mind, leaving layers of cobwebs and dust. Everything looked as if I were behind a smoked glass. Dark, blurry. Swirling together until all I could see was fog.

Then, four shadows. Clustering voices that mixed together until I couldn't only hear white noise. But even as their words vanished, their image became clearer. They looked young, my age. One with golden hair, one with black. Another with brown bangs over one of his intense, yet lost green eyes. 

But it was the last that caught my eyes. Mused dark brown hair, narrowed Prussian eyes.

It felt like I was on the verge of remembering something important, but no matter hard I tried, I couldn't step over the line and actually *remember*.

Suddenly, everything fell apart, like shattered glass. I felt myself sink into painfully bright whiteness. 

HEEEERRROOOO!!!

***

I felt a hard jerk on my shoulder, pulling away, I saw myself still surrounded by the sympathetic students. I felt trapped. The door was all the way across the room.

I felt myself tense as they got closer and closer.

Screw the door. In one quick and fluid motion, I leaped from where I had fallen beside my desk and out the window.

***

The entire world rushed by me as I ran through the thick woods towards . . . well, nowhere in particular.

I just needed to get away from there, get away from *myself*. The way I figured it, as long as I keep running, my brain wouldn't get enough oxygen to think. And as of this point I was positive that too much thinking would only land me with a one-way ticket to the hell knownth to the worldly realm as the psychiatrist's office.

After being forced to spend 6 joyful afternoons during my 'recovery', in the clutches of that devil, I've become fully convinced that another visit would kill me.

"ITTAAAII!"

I stumbled over another yet another overgrown root; only a quick grab of a nearby branch saved my head from an intimate moment with rough bark of the oak. Dammit. Anymore of this and I won't be able to see straight.

I choked in another gulp of the sake that I had snagged from the teacher's lounge a few days ago. Hey, I think that dying from despair is as good of a reason as any to drown myself in this junk.

Tipping back my head, I took a long swig and started running again.

***

I t took me a while to realize that I had slowed down to just a swaggering walk. Glancing around me for the first time, I realized that I was no longer anywhere *near* the school. Peeking over my shoulders, I noticed that the woods I was hiking through was over shadowed by the descending night. 

I paused, wondering if I should go back. The opening was desolated. The only other thing in site was a relatively large, 1 story building resting on a thick carpet of gravel, dirt and weeds. How welcoming.

For some strange reason, I began to stagger forward, towards the little house of doom. No kidding. The place was a mess. All its windows were shattered, its only barn like door hung on one of its huge metal hinges. The outer walls were of a rusty metal, with graying flakes of paint clinging desperately to its rough sides.

The inside was worse- I was soon to realize as I stepped in. Ripped police ribbons draped from wall to wall, making the place look like someone's sad attempt at giving the place an air of festive. The mold and moss that clung to it – and everything else- suggested that the place was long forgotten.

As I walked around, I was hit with the surprisingly familiar stench of blood and of various rotting things that I didn't *really* want to know of. But that wasn't what had bothered me the most. The place in *general* seemed familiar.

Oh God!

I fell to my knees in disgust. I was *there*! Somehow in my fit of anger, my legs had led me to the last place I would ever want to be.

"Traitor" I muttered, choking back a sob of hysterical giggles. I loosing my fucking sanity here. Not good.

Leaning against my unfortunately empty bottle, I clawed against the wall, trying to stand up. I had to get out of here. And pronto.

Alas, I decided, someone up there *really* didn't like me much. The glass bottle cracked, burying its silver splinters in my hands and arm, as my weight came crashing down on it. It didn't hurt nearly as much as it should. But considering how out of it I was, I shouldn't be surprised. Ok scratch that, I don't think I *can* be surprised. My mind was too numb in general.

So I lay there for God knows how long. A little bundle of misery, soaked in blood, tears and the rainwater that had gathered on the damp floor, dripping through cracks in the roof. My cheeks pressed against the cold ground, warmed only by the blood that leaked from cuts embedded with shards of glass. It's funny. How beautiful things are so painful – I smirked, or not.

Damn. I've sunk too low. I pressed my eyes shut, trying to ignore the insistent pulling at my shoulders . . . huh?

"Duo. Wake up."

I gathered enough strength to form a sad attempt to push the person away. Muttering a few words that probably never left my lips.

"Leave me along. Why can't you just leave me alone?"

I didn't even bother to form questions like who are you and why the hell do you know my name. It seemed too trivial.

Someone was bandaging my hands. Wrapping my torn skin with gauze, cleaning out the wounds on my face. Soft hands brushed against my cheeks, gathering back my loosened hair.

The last thing I saw before loosing my grip on reality was a pair of familiar blue eyes. They were like the glow of hope, coming to a lost ship from a light tower. The soft embrace of loved ones when the journey has finally come to an end. The pure emotion of relief and happiness. 

I sank into the warmth, feeling all my strength drain away.

Then everything faded again. Into colorless oblivion, filled with nothingness. But I felt strangely safe. For the first time, I felt like I was home again.

***

"Duo! Duo! Wake up!"

I buried my head under my blanket, refusing to submit to the voice calling me from beyond. Nope, I've learned my lesson. From now on, I *stay* in bed. Nothing short of hell on earth could get me up now. And as far as I'm concerned, even if that does happen, I'd be burned into a happy pile of ashes before even attempting to crawl of my little nest.

"OI!!!"

Someone yanked the blanket off my face, replacing it with the sound slam of a pillow. I reached out blindly, trying to push the person away.

"DUUUOOOOOO!!!!"

Itai! I rubbed my ears, trying to get rid of the ringing sound. Even *I* can't scream that loud. Which says a lot. I opened my eyelids, just a crack.

"Whacha want?"

"Hehehe. So you *are* alive!" 

My eyes finally gained full vision. Which immediately went unfocused as I jumped back in surprise, and fell off the bed. Itaaaaaaiiiii. I whined for the second time in 2 minutes as my head cracked against the floor.

Suddenly, a worried face peered up from the bed. She had wheat blond hair and cornflower blue eyes. Pretty, in a childish way.

"Who the hell are you?!?" I reached to my nightstand, grabbing the nearest weapon.

"I'm Relena, remember? And what are you doing with that hairbrush?"

I glanced down at the 'weapon' in my hand. Ok, so it wasn't exactly the best choice. Iya . . .

I turned my attention back to the intruder. "Screw that, I really don't care who you are, just tell me how you got into my room!"

Her eyes widen a bit. "Pargan found you in front of the building, unconscious, one of the students showed us your room. We sorta assumed that you might want to sleep in your own room, and not in the bushes outside."

ACK! Suddenly, I remembered my little run. But I ended up, *miles* away, how did I get back? Unless . . .

"Hey, did you by any chance see some guy when you found me?"

She gave me a weird look, shaking her head. So either the guy disappeared or only existed in my mind, making me down right crazy. Ok. I've decided that I did *not* like her. Grrrrr. Deep breathe, Maxwell.

I opened my mouth to speak, but her high-pitched voice cut me off.

"Oi! Have you seen Heero by any chance? My stalke- er . . . friends, couldn't find any traces of him and figured that you'd probably know." She paused, taking a deep breath before starting her ramble again. "Actually, you were the *only* pilot I could locate. The other just seemed to have disappeared."

It was my turn to give her the weird look. Ok, so she's over the line, probably a lot more than me, but considering the fact that she did help me when I was unconscious, I guess I should at least be polite.

"Er . . . ojousan. What in the world are you talking about?"

Silence. She blinked. I blinked. And after a five minute starring contest, she finally broke the silence.

"Oh my. I've heard about you getting amnesia from different sources, but I just assumed it was a cover up."

Pushing herself into a sitting position on *my* couch. She dragged her army sized backpack over *my* table. "And since Heero apparently isn't here, I guess it's lucky that I came around."

Yeah. Real lucky. I rolled my eyes, but kept from voicing my complaint. Instead, I gave a longsuffering sigh and peeked over her shoulder. At least she'll be able to tell me about who I am. I saw her pull out some pictures and papers.

"First of all, my name is Relena Peacecraft, I'm the queen of the world, no da."

Oi . . . this is going to be a *long* day.

***

I laid underneath the willow tree. It's still-green leaves swayed over me like thousands of silk scarves. Resting against the bark, I closed my eyes, trying to gather my pervading thoughts. Which is a *lot* easier said then done, considering the fact that I didn't even have my sanity left to help.

Relena left a few hours ago, after giving me a basic overview of my life. I guess I should be grateful . . . but it only left me even more . . . sad.

I looked down, eyeing the photo in my hand. It was a picture of 5 teenagers, standing in front of some boarding school. It must have been one of the scarce times when the 5 of them . . . iie . . . the five of *us* had been together.

Wufei Chang.

Trowa Barton.

Quatre. R. Winner.

Duo Maxwell.

And . . . Heero Yuy.

That name struck familiar. It was warm and golden, like honey, peppered with vague memories, trapped in its sticky sweetness.

It hurts. Really. Something I just couldn't explain. It hurt more than the cuts that decorated my face and arms. It hurt more than those weeks recovering from the bullet wounds. It hurts like . . . well, hell!

Rain started to patter down. Droplets spilling on my face, mixing with the hot saltiness that spilled from my eyes. My vision blurred with tears that I refused to acknowledge.

Suddenly a burning sting hit my right arm. Ok, *this* hurts like hell!

Growling, I reached out my left hand, trying to find what had hit me. My rain slick fingers encountered a small . . . glass cylinder? Yanking it out showed that it was attached to a long thin needle. 

"A tranquilizer dart?" I muttered as I felt the ground shift beneath me. It drug might be taking in affect. Either that or the end of the world is here.

My eyes began to feel like lead, but before they finally left me in a world of darkness, I caught sight of a figure in black. The first of the 4 horsemen?

Before I could attempt to answer myself, my mind began to slooooowly sink into a world of muddy nothingingless. For the *third* time today, I found myself lost in the darkness that I have grown to know, though not exactly love.

***

It was cold. The kind of cold that reaches down to your very soul, giving you a hard shake. I let out a small whimper, trying to pry open my eyes. It was about as hard as trying to pry Relena off Heero once she gets a good grip. Wait... where did *that* come from? I paused in my little train of thoughts. Recently, I've been finding myself making comments, then realizing that they make absolutely NO sense. 

I shifted my position, and felt something cold dig into my arm. Ok, I can worry about that later, but right now I *really* need to open my eyes.

When I did eventually regain my wonderful skills of vision, all I could see was pale bars of light seeping through a window that was covered by glass that *really* needs some polishing. Oh joy. To make a long story short, it didn't take a genius to figure out that I was in some sort of a prison. Adjusting my eyes to the darkness around me, I tried listing all the possible reasons why I *would* be in a prison and not falling asleep in class. Then the memories came back. Meeting that strange girl. Then getting drugged.

A soft moan slipped through my lips, echoing through the large metal room. I didn't know how long I've been out. It seemed like an eternity. Crawling to my knees, I attempted to stand up... only to end up flat on the floor again.

"Itaaaaaiiiii."

Ok, I was *not* going anywhere for a while, no matter *how* excited I was to explore every corner of this dark musty hell. And why, you ask? Because my hands were cuffed together with one of those things they use in military prisons, the ones made from the strongest alloy metal, covering your entire lower arm, instead of just your wrist. In other words, breaking or even just picking the locks open were out of question.

"So you're finally awake."

I was so lost in my thoughts of self-pity that I didn't even realize that there was another person in the room. Gathering what's left of my dignity and pride, I threw back what even *I* would call a pathetic attempt at a retort.

"Yeah, what's it to you?"

I heard a soft chuckle. A good natural one, but it still left me pissed like hell. Forgive me, but somehow I don't see the humor in being locked in some rat hole, with my arms encased in metal, chatting with Mr. Shadows over there.

"I see. You seem to have no recollection of me. It was suppose to be that way. I truly would have preferred for you be able to live a 'normal' life. But as you can see, I no longer have a say in the matter."

Huh? His voice *did* seem familiar. But I couldn't get a clear enough look at him to quite recognize him. All I could see was a dark silhouette against the pale light leaking from cracks around what must be the prison door. His height and the deepness of his voice suggested that he must have been at least 20 or 30.

That was all I could think of to say. There was something about him that was screaming to be recognized, placed with an event in the past. Perhaps not so much as a 'good' memory, but one nonetheless. 

"Who are you?"

"An friend? A stranger? A lost link to the past? What answer do you seek? My name is Andre, but I think you seek a more meaningful answer, am I wrong? "

I shook my head, even though I was positive he wouldn't see it. "I want to know why you are here. I want to know whatever you can tell me about *myself*. Apparently, you know a lot more than me."

"That, you are right about. Do you want to know the story? The real one?"

A part of me wanted to say 'no'. That things are bad enough the way they are. That I didn't need anything else to confuse me. But then I remembered that moment in time, forever lost in a sea of images. Forever embedded in my mind. It was an image of a blue-eyed angel. An angel of mercy, who will finally save me from... myself.

I nodded. "I need to know. Once and for all, I need to be myself again. I don't know how to say this, but there's enough- no *more* than enough- ghost of the past, haunting me. I- " 

"I understand. Perhaps I should have told you long ago. Maybe that would have changed the situation now. But the past is not worth a future of regret [1]."

I sighed. Leaning back against the cold wall, I let the words sink into my mind. I've hid from my problems enough, now its time to face the music.

"If you're ready to hear the story, then I shall tell. Just don't regret it." I saw his shadow change position as he took a seat across from me.

***

[POV switch]

"I was still little at the time. Though a bit older than you. I remember that day as if I were there at this moment. I had a research project to do, for class. It was a summer morning, I remember stepping into the library. The topic was on any major event of the past, which had to do with human rights. 

"I still can smell the musty leather bound books, the old newspaper, rattling as I flipped through them. And then... I came upon that article. It was from centuries ago, and told of a group of scientists gathered together with a certain goal. 

"Now during that time, a severe war was at hand. Thousands upon thousands of men died regularly, much like the way things are today. Realizing the situation, the scientist were attempting to take the cells of humans, and manipulate them into what can be called the 'imitation soldiers' with stamina, reaction rates, and other qualities far beyond those of normal soldiers. But not only were they by far better fighters, they were *replaceable*. It didn't matter if they died. Because for every one that was killed in battle, another 5 would be 'born'. I was completely entranced. The situation seemed at once wonderfully ingenious, yet horrifying and inhumane at the same time.

"Completely enraptured upon the subject, I searched for more articles... But, I found none. Not another scrap of information. That truly perplexed me, for how could such a thing not rise countless oppositions, and debate. An occurrence that should have been the event of the century left no traces upon the graying newspaper and records.

"But what disturbed me even more was that when I questioned the librarian and then later on, as many historians as I could contact, they claimed that such a thing never happened. When that happened, I immediately returned to the library to find that newspaper once more, but it was gone. The librarian, who had helped me find it, was reported to have died from a car accident.

"One by one, all the people whom I had approached began to die off for various reasons. Drowning, fire, accidental poisonings. All seemingly innocent and non-related causes. But it only caused me to become more interested. I always stayed with a crowd, making sure that there was no possible way for me to follow the fates of all those unfortunate people. 

"But since that discovering at the library, I could only find small scratches of information. I had learned from old diaries and letters that there was a human rights group, called the Sanq, had uncovered the experiments, bringing it to court. The government, desperate to win the war, sided with the scientist. This action infuriated Sanq. Teaming up with the opposing country, they managed to infiltrate the laboratory, destroying everything. There were no survivors.

***

I didn't know what to say. I just sat there, waiting for all the words to sink deep into my mind. Part of me wanted to laugh, and take none of it too seriously. I mean, it's possible that his brain is just a bit screwy from spending so much time in the hellhole that we were currently chatting in. Besides, what did that story have to do with me?

But... I couldn't. Call me crazy, but somehow I *knew* that he wasn't lying. I gave my head a little shake. Then again, *my* brain might be a little screwy too.

"Then what happened? Did you find more information?"

He shook his head; the light behind him flickered a bit, like the wings of some glowing moth. "That's not important now. What *is* important is that we're in danger right now. After destroying the plans of the scientists, Sanq 'disappeared', along with all traces of its actions. Using its endless supply of money, they quieted the media, and bribed their way out of any difficulties. It was only about 5 decades later, did then reemerged as a kingdom dedicated to peace. And peaceful they were until- "

"DUO MAXWELL"

I suddenly realized that the doors behind us had been flung open, three figures stood in the doorway. I'm not sure *how* I could've missed something like that. Really. If it weren't for the situation we were in, I'd seriously begin a long debate about whether I have *any* scenes at all.

But anything thoughts on *that* was cut off as two of the figures strolled into the room, right past Andre who seemed to have melted into the shadows.

"You are to come with us now." One of the figures still stood by the door; the light behind him cast his hair into a soft golden brown glow. It looked almost like a halo.

"Itai! Can't you be more careful?"

My attention was brought back to the problem at hand as the two reached down, dragging me to my feet. Somehow, one of my legs got caught on a chain. Now, I'm not exactly *delicate* or anything, but as the blazing hot pain shot up my legs, the only thing I could think about was how much I was going to KILL the next person I get my hands on.

I sighed as they dragged towards the door like a sack of potatoes. Oh I feel *real* special. 

Blinking, I adjusted to the bright lights outside the cell. The other guy had turned away before I could get a good look at his face.

"Where are we going?"

Silence.

Ok, I reeeaaaaally don't like being ignored. Whatever happened to common courtesy? I glanced back one more time to catch a glance of Andre, but all I could see was darkness. For some reason, I couldn't help but think that any moment now, I'll wake up and find myself in Baldry- sensei's class, helplessly tortured by his endless lectures.

I glanced at either side of me. The two guys really look like they stepped out of some old zombie setup. And we're talking about absolutely NO emotions on their face. I sighed again, pursing my lips into a pout. Statistics is really starting to look good. [2] 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] I remember a friend always telling me that. I can't remember the exact words, but it goes somewhere along those lines. 

[2] school... ::moans in distress::

note: incase you missed it in the beginning, this is a SEQUEL to 'Blood Red', it'd be really really confusing if you havn't read it.

AN: hehe like? Please review!! =D


	2. Phase Two

Angelic Voice

By Hachi Mitsu 

08.26.00 ~ 09.03.00

Phase Two

The breeze still blows about,

Carrying your voice far above,

The chaotic world burning beneath.

Confusion, hatred, anger, seethe.

But only your words still remains clear

Only you, I still can hear

Above all other noise

I still can hear your

Angelic voice.  
  


I rubbed my arms as the handcuffs were removed. After having them encased in those happy metal things for god knows how long, I've reached the conclusion that circulation is indeed *very* important. Yeah. Learn something new, *every*day. How's *that* for education? And I'm not even in class. [1]

With a silent sigh, I shifted my position on the couch where the zombies from hell had dumped me, before leaving. After trying to communicate with them through Nihongo, English and sign language for the past eternity or so, I've finally decided that further attempt at humanly communication is just a waste of time.

Drawing my rope of hair- no longer worthy of being called a braid- over my shoulder, I attempted to pull it back into a somewhat decent manner. I slooooowly ran my fingers through the silky tresses, peeking through the strands as I continued in my futile attempt at looking human again. The room was actually pretty cool. It seemed like some sort of library. The walls were covered with shelves and shelves of leather-bound books. Pale light seeped through the stain glass windows, casting beautiful patterns over the cream colored carpet.

Standing, I strolled over towards a shelf, glancing halfheartedly at the various titles. Halfheartedly, because its *soooooooo* hard to indulge yourself in reading ancient junk when the only thing with a firm stay in your mind is the thought that any minute now, the guards might return with my last meal, and then it's off to execution. Aren't I optimistic. I pulled a slightly newer book out of the shelf. 

"Oi!"

I leapt forwards just in time to catch the leaves of paper that flew out of the book. Okay. I *really* hope that I didn't just desecrate anything important. I don't need another smudge on *my* slate. As of right now, I've got enough to redecorate the entire inner wall of the cavernous hole in the wall, also known as the cafeteria, back in school. And I *don't* mean that in a good way.

"hm...?" plopping down on the couch again, I flipped through the paper. It was mostly dates. 

1975-1985 AD... 1985- 1995... 1995- 2005(?)... 

I skipped down the list, all the way to the last dates.

180AC- n/a. _ORI ended 185 AC_

They looked like birth/death dates. But that can't be right. First of all, they were way to exact. 10 years each. Second of all, 10 years? Why would they all die off after exactly 10 years of life? Something about this whole thing just really didn't hit it off right. Especially that last date. 185AC. It tugged on something in my mind that *shouldn't* be tugged on. 

"What are you doing?"

I literally jumped out of the chair, landing –thankfully- on my feet. Quickly I stuffed the papers back into the book, and then stuffed the *book* back into the shelf. Oooookay! No one saw that.

I peek from behind the veil of chestnut brown locks that still curtained my face, reaching down past my waist like a golden brown waterfall. Obviously blinded by my hair, I could only make out the vague shape of a ... person... standing by the door. At least I think it was a person. I brushed back my hair, tucking it behind my eyes. Okay. I like hiding, but being able to see is just a *bit* more important. Especially when it comes to dodging bullets. Warily, I eyed the handgun, which was all to visible now- tucked at the guy's waist. Right.

"Mmm... nothing." My eyes were still locked on the gun. I tried to convince myself that the only reason I did that was because if he did plan on target practice, I'd realize *before* I get first price in the national Swiss cheese contest. But something told me it was more. Like a little voice telling me not to look *up*, cause if I did, my entire world will come crashing *down*. And as far as I'm concerned, I can't get any lower without hitting the doors to hell.

"What's wrong?"

My life has hit rock bottom. I'm probably about to die soon. And the guy asks me 'what's wrong'. I shifted my gaze to the silver chain around my wrist, playing with the rose that still adorn it. Ok, the gun was getting kinda boring.

I shook my head. feeling the slick strands of my hair slide against the thin cloth of my dress shirt. For some reason, it struck me as *wrong* to have to die in my school uniform. I sighed. "why would anything be wrong"

I heard a sigh echo mine. Okay, so the sarcasm in my voice wasn't as discreet as it should have been. So shoot me. It's not like the story was going to end any differently. I am completely and utterly convinced that I'm going to die. So they might as well get it over with. It's not like I'm looking forward to returning to school after missing, what 2 days of school, with *no* excuse notes. Life is hell. Well, mine is in any case.

"Duo..."

Ok, I *swear* that I can literally *hear* voices that were *screaming* at me not to look up. So... I looked up. So sue me if I don't trust 'little voices in my head'.

"iya..."

It was him. Standing in under the beam of the sun. The light hitting his hair just so that it brought out a rich golden highlight. Like a halo. I froze. No, I'm hallucinating. And this is a pretty bad time to hallucinate, not that there ever IS a good time to hallucinate, mind you. But as of right now, I'm *praying* that this is just an illusion. Why, you might inquire. Well, for one thing, I *recognize* him. It was him! I remembered back to all those dreams. It was him. Then that time, at the abandoned clubhouse. It was *him*! But the thing was, he's not suppose to be *real*. People conjured by a messed up brain and an overdose of sake aren't suppose to just walk up to you and *talk* like they're real.

"Duo... don't you recognize me?"

No, no, no, no... I wasn't really sure what I was saying no to, but if I repeat it enough, maybe a miracle will drop out of the sky and everything will be alright again. I buried my face in my hands, hiding under cascading brown waves. I giggled, my voice a bit too high pitched. Ok, remind me to check 'sanity' on the list of things I've lost in the past 24 hours.

"Hm? What are you talking about?" I felt another giggle slip from my lips as he grabbed my shoulders giving me a hard shake. Putting down my hands, I gave him a long hard look. Hey it aint *every*day that you get to meet your very own hallucination. Then it stuck me, I've seen him somewhere else too. Weird girl. Endless rambling. Oh my god! The picture. I let out another giggle. This one just a tad over the borderline.

"You're Heero!"

Backing away almost in horror, I bit down on my lips. Ok, having hysterics is *not* helping. He looked just as shocked as I probably did. Which struck me as really weird and scary, even though I wasn't sure why.

Something was wrong here. He's not suppose to be here! I clutch the side of my head with my hands, fingers tangling in the loose hair. Something was really not right. 

"Duo, I-"

"STAY AWAY!" Stay away. Stayawaystayawaystayawaystayaway. It repeated itself over and over again in my mind, like some twisted mantra, until I realized that I wasn't saying it out loud anymore. And then, it came back to me. The blood. The scent of death in the air. The feeling of the warm coppery liquid covering my hands. Heero. Heero was dying. Quatre, Trowa, Wufei... Heero

I felt tears slid down my cheeks. Warm, like blood. Salty on my lips and tongue. I wasn't in the warm library anymore. I was on the floor of the cold dance floor, covered in blood. Covered in my blood, and in the blood of friends I had killed. All I could feel was my arms wrapped around an all too cold body.

"Iya... IYA!"

"Duo! Snap out of it!"

Suddenly I realized that I was back in the present. Warm arms hugging me close as I sobbed. I was safe. I tried to convince myself that what had happened was over. It didn't matter that the person who was suppose to have died was holding me in his arms. It doesn't matter that any minute now, I'll wake up, back at the cell, with my memory back, but no Heero. I just wanted to stay here for as long as I can.

"Heero, don't leave. Don't ever leave again!" I murmured, not loosening my death grip oh Heero. No way I'm losing him again. Nope. You'd have to pry him outa my dead arms in order to get him.

"Alright." 

I almost felt sorry for him. Just for a second. With me here, acting like a three year old, he must be going through hell. But what can I say? It's his fault for dying. Reluctantly, I pulled away, still sniffling. "Honto ni?"

He smiled, which surprised the heck outa me. "Hai. Ima, daijobu ka?"[2]

"Yeah. I guess." I turned away from him, walking towards the couch again, still unable to take in all this. Later, I'll ask him all the questions that flooded my mind. Later. Right now, I just wanted to forget all my problems. Absentmindedly, I gathered my hair over my shoulder again. Then winced. "Iya! My hair's a mess!" Ok, at least now I have something else to occupy my mind.

I heard Heero chuckling softly. Walking over to where I sat, mourning over my loss, he ruffled my hair. "Baka"

Throwing him a glare, I swatted his hand away. *MY* hair. Glancing up again, I was surprised to see a serious expression fall over his features again. "What's wrong?"

"Duo, I-" He started, but then hesitated. "Iya, nothing. Come on, we have to get you out of here. There'll be time to talk later."

Tilting my head to one side, I gave him a bewildered look. I'd say it was half way between, 'what the hell did you get me into this time' and flat out 'no'. *Don't* ask. "What do you mean?"

Suddenly, I heard footsteps running, shouting coming from the hall, on the other side of the thick wooden door.

"He must be here!"

Heero glanced towards the door with a slight frown. "They caught on faster than I thought..." Without further hesitation, he ran towards the window, pushing it open. "Come on Duo!"

"Wait, but what about Andre? Shouldn't we help him too?"

Heero gave me a weird look. "What are you talking about? Hurry up! We don't have time to deal with your delusions."

I glared at time. But then, with a final glance to the door, hearing the sound of fists pounding against the other side, I rushed towards Heero. Gomen Andre. I'll help you out, I prom- 

For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to finish the sentence.

***

I laid back on the fluffy pillow, half asleep. I've currently listed a grand total of 231 ways to kill myself, a new record for me. So why, might you ask, that I'm fantasizing about death? Well, for one thing, being back in school with Heero is bringing back some unwanted memories. More than I can handle. I frowned at the air above me, momentary wondering if I had actually expected for the featureless ceiling to respond. 

And beside, there was a reeeaaally big test in history tomorrow.

I sighed, sitting up. Apparently, my death wish wasn't going to come crashing down on me, in any sense or form. I glanced around, barely making out the features of the stylishly designed room through the dark. Actually, if it weren't for the sulky mood I was in, I might have appreciate how *nice* our room was. There was a balcony leading from the main room, over looking some nice greenery and a pretty scene of the creek. The rest of the indoor decor was also a lot more than you would expect from a boarding school. Smooth wooden desks, and real couches, decorated, for the first time known to history, in *non* clashing colors. 

Strolling to nowhere in particular, I ended up beside the balcony. Leaning against the wooden panel of the glass door, I shut my eyes, feeling the breeze flow past me. For a second, I wondered where Heero was. He was probably still in library studying, or maybe out gathering information on our current dilemma. Then I found myself wondering why I even cared. Besides, Heero doesn't need *my* help. And even if, by some chance equaled to the possibility that I'm still sane, he *does* need my help, he sure the hell wouldn't take it.

I sighed with utter frustration, walking away from the balcony, it was late autumn and it was already dark out. Tucking my handgun into the back waistband of my jeans, I grabbed a jacket, stuffing some extra cartridge into its pockets. There was no way I was going to sit here, rotting away. For a moment, my mind flickered over the fact that Heero *did* demand that I didn't leave campus without telling him first. 

But... I reasoned with myself, I didn't exactly promise him. I smirked, heading for the door. A nice long walk will clear my mind.

***

I had NO idea where I'm going. Glancing around the wooded area, I made on last futile attempt to conjure some supernatural power that might lead me back home. No luck there. Ok, I'll settle for a phone booth. But all I saw was tons and tons of those devilish oaks and pines. For a second, I lingered at the possibility that this might be hell taken over by environmentalists. Arbor day, here we come.

I drew my arms around myself, feeling a slight tremor run through me. The heavy mist, which had settled in, was so thick that I could hardly see the ground. Which ISN'T good considering the fact that the only way I would be able to find my way home- in broad DAY light- is if a miracle came dropping out of the sky. Halfheartedly, I glanced up through the thick blankets of whiteness. Nope, no hope there.

I glanced around again, the mists dancing between the bare branches of the trees. Um... I shouldn't worried, right? I mean, what's the worst thing that can happen? Be chased down by some misty-creature and never be found again? Nah. Heero would probably realize I'm gone and come look for me... 

Wait a minute. Get eaten by misty-creature... face a pissed off Heero. Eaten... pissed off Heero. I was starting to lean towards the 'eaten' idea.

Suddenly, my foot caught on some hard root, causing to me pitch forward. Then, a moment before my face was about to have an intimate moment with the hard soil, I saw a figure standing between two trees.

"Duo, you should be more careful."

Scrambling to an upright position, I pulled out my handgun, aiming it for the figure.

"Yeah, and unless you want an extra hole in your damn head, I suggest you be, too." Ok, I think I have a RIGHT to be cranky. Especially since I've been wandering around the happy woods all night long, and just had my face dipped in muddy dirt.

Then something struck me. "Andre?!" 

Blink. Blink.

I couldn't see any distinct feature about the figure, but even if I could, it wouldn't have mattered. I heard a familiar soft chuckle come from his direction. "But... How in the world did you escape?!" The last time I remembered seeing- or rather talking to- him was back in the cell.

"They left the door unguarded during the commotion you caused. It was easy from there on." Wait, how did he know about me escaping? Before I could put my confusion into a question, he continued with a certain urgency in his voice that demanded to be heard. Note to self- learning that little trick might come in handy the next time I have to inform Heero of some life threatening issue. "Duo, I have to tell you what I didn't get a chance to say the last time we met. You have to find the whole story."

I tucked the gun away, giving him a confused look. "What do you mean?" I started to walk towards him, but the mist thickened. I paused, leaning against a tree. I felt lightheaded. "Haven't you already told me the entire story? Back in the cell?"

I think he shook his head. But it was hard to tell. "Duo, I never got a chance to find out everything. *You* have to." I felt my knees weaken. Mentally I kicked myself, wondering why I was getting so dizzy. I pushed back against the trunk, trying to stay upright. "Duo, this area has a secret. If you can find it, you might have a chance." Andre gestured around him.

"Secret?" Andre turned away without answering. Shaking my head to get rid of the cloudy feeling, I pushed away from the tree, trying to catch up with him. "Andre?" the mist clung to me. I felt like I was suffocating even though, technically it should be impossible for air to hold that much moisture without turning into rain.

"Duo, you have to finish what I never got a chance to." Andre finally stopped, giving me a final glance. "Duo, there are things that you need to know. Things that I can't tell you, that no one can. No one but yourself."

I wanted to growl. I was *not* in the mood for any mystical shit. I just wanted to know what's going on. "Andre..." I couldn't walk anymore. Slowly, I sank onto the ground, clutching at the damp grass.

"You owe it to your friends. You owe it to me. And even if none of that matters to you. At least know that you owe your*self* an explanation."

I couldn't see him anymore. Then, I realize that I couldn't see *any*thing anymore.

"Duo..."

Duo...

***

Duo...

The soft voice echoed through my mind.

Duo...

Something soft brushed against my face. Raising my hands, I tried batting it away with annoying disturbance.

"DUO!!"

Suddenly, I jerked myself into an up right position on what I presumed to be my bed... unfortunately finding myself staring into the eyes of a VERY pissed off Heero. I found myself slooooowly edging back, laughing nervously. "Oh... hi Heero."

"Hn." Heero pressed the back of his hand against my forehead. "Are you alright?"

I pushed his head away, giving him a weird look with a side of another nervous chuckle. "Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be?" Something was nagging in the back of my mind, but I pushed it away.

It was Heero's turn to give me a weird look. Well, he doesn't actually look any different than any other time, but hell, I'll use my imagination. "Then explain why you were out cold, when I found you in the middle of the woods?"

Huh? Then, with the abruptness of being hit by a truck going top speed, I remembered what had happened. Determined not to let Heero know about my sudden... er... memory loss, I pasted my best 'I'm innocent, so please spare me' smile on my face. "Oh, it was just the fog... I must have gotten lost or something."

Not waiting for a reply, I slid out of the bed, entwining my fingers behind my head, trying to look casual. Key word being 'trying'. I sighed silently to myself, wondering what god I had pissed off *this* time.

Then Heero said something that totally took away the whole casual approach.

"What fog?"

"Huh?" I peeked towards the open balcony, the night air was crisp and clear. The stars shone through the cloudless sky. 

I rushed towards it, my mind in disbelieve. How did it get so clear all of a sudden? I leaned against the wooden frame, not sure what to expect. Maybe that whole scene was a dream.

"What are you thinking about?"

I startled at a light touch on my shoulders, until I saw Heero's reflection on the glass. I sighed silently. There's no reason why I should be this... well *tense*. I mean, there's probably a reasonable explanation. Heero gave me another weird look; at least I think he did, 'cause I was still observing all his action through my hazy makeshift mirror, the glass door. 

"I- I don't know." I shrugged, giving him a slight wink in an attempt to lighten the mood. Something else was pushing itself into my mind. It bothered me- ok, more like *scared* me- at times that I'm starting to become so *open*. Especially around Heero. It's like someone is trying to break out of me, to make me realize that there's more to me, than I let on. I gave me head a slight shake, then whispered softly, not sure if I meant my words to be heard. "Things have gotten so messed up lately, ne?"

I get the feeling that Heero wanted to ask me. Ask me what had happened. But, well, *something* is apparently stopping him. I felt sorta guilty for making him worry, that is if he actually did worry about me. But then again, there were still a lot of questions I wanted to ask him. Questions that I HAVE asked, but never got an answer for.

Like why he was alive.

I closed my eyes, giving my head a small shake. "Maybe after all the fighting's over. Things will clear up then, right?"

"After the war is over..." The low murmur brought me back to reality. Suddenly, the hand on my shoulder lifted. It left me feeling strangely empty and cold.

I felt a small mirthless smile dance on my lips. "After the war? The way things are right now, I'd be damn lucky to get back *into* the war alive."

"Duo..."

I went on, ignoring him. For some reason, I suddenly had the urge to get rid of all this frustration that's been building up. I wanted to rant on and on, to tell him what was happening to our lives, as if I was the only one that can see it. "It's just going to go on and on. It's not going to end. Dammit, it's never going to end!" 

I paused, trying to breath. I wasn't sure if I knew what I was talking about anymore. The war? The confusion? Or my worthless life. 

My face felt hot. And my heart sounded like continuous shots fired into the night sky. Even if we *do* get out of this mess alive, we'd have to go back to the war. Fighting again, with the constant reminder that *they're* not here anymore- I still couldn't bring myself to say their names. It's never going to end. It's never going to end. Suddenly, a realization wash over me, soothing me. "But, you know what? Maybe I don't *want* it to end."

I felt Heero stiffen behind me, like he was startled by the sudden calmness in my voice. I finally turned around, clasping the front of his shirt in my hands. "Heero, what are we without the war? Without fighting? We're nothing."

"Duo..." I shook my head, no Heero. This time *you're* wrong.

"No! Listen to me. Can you imagine us, when the war is over? Heero, we're soldiers, we weren't *meant* to live in anything but war. When the *war* ends *we* end!"

Something was tugging in my mind again. Pulling at every word that escaped my lips. I pushed it away, trying to convince myself that I was talking about the war, and nothing more. I tightened my fists. Heero was literally trying to shake some senses into me. Which technically should be hard to ignore, considering his strength. But... my mind seemed to over load.

"DUO!" 

I felt fist come in contact with my right cheek. The next thing I knew, I was on the floor, hugging my knees to my chest. My eyes were squeezed shut, but I couldn't feel any tears. "Duo, stop doing this to yourself." I felt warm arms encircle me, but my heart was numb with cold.

There was silence, unbearable silence that beckoned for me to bring up the final question.

"Heero... what will happen to us?"

By then, I knew that I wasn't just talking about the war anymore. There was more to it all.

Silence took over the room again. My eyes were locked on the wall over Heero's shoulders. I didn't want to look at him and see the lost look that must veil his eyes. Heero, who was suppose to know everything. What will happen to me Heero? What will happen to *us*? Tell me. I need to know. I know I wasn't speaking out loud, but for a while, it didn't matter so much. I was content with the silence, rather than his words, which will confirm my fears.

"Wakarimasen. I don't know Duo."

***

I glared at Heero's back as the evil creation, known as his laptop, glowed with amazing similarity to the devil's eyes. I sighed when it became apparent that glaring wasn't gonna get me anywhere. Slowly, I shifted my position on the bed where I was attempting to study. Key word being 'attempting' because so far, the labor of the past 2 hours or so, added up to a grand total of 2 sentences in the essay about Shakespeare I was suppose to write.

Groaning with absolute frustration, I buried my nose in the textbook, trying to drill some of the stuff into my brain. Which, needless to say, wasn't working. Me and ancient plays don't get along very well.

"Heeeeeeerooooo!"

I flinched when I realized that I sounded extremely similar to a certain blonde leach, but then dismissed it. But, hey, my sanity is a lot more urgent than any excuse Relena could come up with whenever she screamed for Heero.

After realizing that I wasn't about to get an answer, I finally dug myself out of my little nest of textbooks, pillows and potato chip bags, and walked towards the baka.

"Heeeee-chan!!"

I swear, I could *see* his anger rise from his head in the ominous form of red smoke. And like any other sanity-deprived person would do, I draped my arms over his shoulders, peeking at the computer screen. "Whacha doing? Heero, I'm bored!"

"Duo, get off of me."

I backed away with a sniff. "Ch' somebody's grouchy today."

He didn't even stop typing. I really feel like choking him, which would be something to do, right? But then again, knowing Heero, which I actually don't very well, he'd probably stop typing long enough to put a few holes in my head, and then go right back to whatever he's doing. But at least I won't be bored anymore. No, you'd be dead. A little voice reasoned inside my head. Sigh.

Walking towards our closet- well, it's actually mine. I dunno where Heero keeps his clothes, but I think that he decided long ago that it ain't worth the fight to try to squeeze in his stuff into the tiny closets after I hang in my 100 and 1 different outfits- I paused in front of the door. Reaching in I grabbed my jacket, the one with the gun and extra magazines already stored in its extra large pockets.

Hn, I can tell when I'm not wanted, and there was no way in hell I was staying here another second. I didn't have the self-control to keep from bothering Heero. And we all know what that means. The janitor's gonna start finding patches of blood everywhere. And when a decapitated head, MY head, shows up under the sink, well... so much for that.

I turned around, heading towards the door, when I found myself blocked by the great Heero Yuy himself. "Move it." Well, I figured if *he's* gonna act like some jerk, well, two can play that game. I glared.

"Where do you think you're going?"

This *really* pisses me off. He's acting like I'm gonna answer to him like I'm some sorta... kid! "I'm going to meet a study group for the test tomorrow."

Heero raised an eyebrow, a small smirk played on his lips. Well, glad *some*one's amused. "Its 12 at night, and the Duo Maxwell I know would never go out at such a time to... study. Besides, you have a gun in your pockets." He said, observing the lines made by my handgun with the conclusion that only Mr. Perfect Soldier would be able to come to.

"Heero, for once, can you just mind your own business?"

He scowled. Kinda reminding me of a pissed off wolf... or maybe not. So shoot me. "Duo, I don't want you running off with all that been happen-"

"All *what*?!? Heero you haven't told me a single damn thing. And you expect me to *understand*?!" I don't know why I was suddenly getting all hot and bothered. But it was true, Heero never explained a single damn thing.

"Duo..." He sighed, sounding for all the world like a little lost kid. Something that I *never* want Heero to sound like. It just seemed so... *wrong*.

I nearly shoved him aside as I rushed towards the door with the strength I never knew I had. Slamming the wooden door behind me, I *stalked* towards the elevator, ready to glare any unfortunate by-passers to death. I was really sick of all these daily face-offs with Heero. He was the only person I have left, and frankly, I was terrified of losing him... again.

I sighed, rubbing my temples as I leaned against the wall inside the elevator. When is this going to end?

+++++

I chuckled silently to myself as I slid through the open window. If nothing else, the fact that I'm willingly sneaking into the library was enough to set me off for days.

I looked around, it was... er... dark. The only thing that saved me from having one huge nervous breakdown was the fact that the tall bookshelves created little closed off spaces. I hated being out in the open when I can't see. It's always better to have something around me, to hide behind.

I sighed not sure of what I was doing here. When I was little, I always loved reading. It was a secret passion that died along with the Maxwell Church. After I lost everyone, I realized that life was complex enough without all those extras. Slowly I ran my hands over the books. Some were old, bound in rich brown leather, while others were new, sleek plastic-like covers with bright colors that were dulled by the lack of light.

Slowly I rested my gaze upon the book, on which my hand still laid. It was an older one. Turning my head slightly to the side, I attempted to read the letters carved into the dark leather. 

Squint. Squint.

I pulled the book out with a hard tug. Screw the title. As desperate as I am, there's no way I was going to spent the entire night trying to make out the title.

Dragging the, surprisingly, heavy book towards the table lit by the moonlight, I pulled open the cover.

"Nani?"

The pages were worn, but still in good condition. But that wasn't what surprised me. The entire page was filled with rectangular grids of pictures. I flipped through the book, all pictures. Some sorta album?

I sighed. Just my luck to stumble upon some sorta ancient photo collection. I flipped to the front again. Oh well, might as well take a look. Maybe I'll even get a few laughs outa it.

I swept my eyes over the dull looking pictures until suddenly a sense of almost horror washed over me. The book in my hands clattered to the table, the sound echoing through the empty library.

The pictures... they were, the same. Every single person looked almost exactly alike! I picked up the book again. Maybe it was just the light.

No... I studied each 2 by 3 rectangular picture. Same short dark brown hair, dark brown eyes. Every face a replica of the one before. Almost franticly, I turned to the cover. I need something, an explanation, something, maybe telling me its just some freakish accident, a mess-up. When I finally got my wits together to read the title, again, it only confused me even more. 

**Contingent 3. **

**Completion of stage one.**

It was some sorta record book. I flipped through the book again. Something, *any*thing! Shinigami, I'm NOT ready to lose what's left of my poor excuse for a mind yet.

Reaching the end of the 'book' I came across a page labeled 'elite stage'. Heh. I laughed with sorta a nervous relief. This outa be a change from the mono-faced groupie from hell. At least the people looked different. They were all boys, really young, maybe 4 or 5 as opposed the people on the other page that looked more of my age. On one page, there was a boy that looked a lot like Quat- I caught myself. After all this time, I still can't bring myself to say their names.

I sighed, squinting at the picture. Hey, it *did* look a *lot* like what the blonde might have when he was little. The only thing that labeled the photo was "ES-180-04". 

ES-180.

There was something about the feeling those words letters and numbers gave off that triggered part of my memory. I couldn't quite place it.

Giving my head a little shake, I flipped the page again. Once more I was struck with surprise. There it was again. Two this time. They looked like... like Trowa and Wufei. There I paused, my breathing a bit ragged even though I was just sitting there the entire time.

ES-180-03

ES-180-05

In a sudden rush, I flipped the page with sense of urgency. I think that part of my freaked-out mind *knew* what I was going to find. But... another one, probably the *conscious* part, refused to believe it.

And then I saw it... promptly freezing from shock and terror. What can I say? I probably deserved it. I can here a little voice snicker. Yeah. Once again, glad someone's amused.

Now, what, might you ask, can possibly cause the god of death to be literally frozen in shock? And we're talking about mid December icicles here. Well, other than another picture, this time of Heero, I- for the first time- saw a photo of what I probably looked like at the age of 5.

Now, I've *never* seen such a young picture of myself. Logic says, if you're starving off the streets, the last thing that cross your mind is trading the next month worth of dinner for a camera. Right.

Besides, I would never imagine it would look like this. Yeah, I know that it's hard, being an orphan and stuff, but I've always made a point about smiling and acting cheerful. A permanent mask, of my soul.

The boy in the picture scowled at me so much that it'd probably fit Heero's face a lot better. And in his eyes, underneath the dull purple jewels, all I could see was blankness. Almost like he was trapped inside his own body. An empty body that has lost its soul, or maybe never had one to begin with. 

Sold his soul to the devil.

I fingered the cross around my neck. Suddenly, I was overcome by the same sensation as the first time when I met Andre, that sense of familiarness. The feeling... of being... lost

Lost and alone...

Alone...

And empty...

I almost didn't hear the sound of the book hit the smooth wooden ground. It sounded almost deafening, yet at the same time, muted. Like a muffled bell. It was unbearable. But then, everything got darker, as if the lonely library wasn't dark enough already. 

The soft thud of my body hitting the ground, briefly echoed by a small gold cross, torn from my throat, skidding across the smooth floorboards.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

AN: hehe like? I actually like this very very much ^_^ hehe, the plot's finally falling together ^.~


	3. Phase Three

Angelic Voice

Angelic Voice

By Hachi Mitsu 

09.15.00 - 11.13.00

Phase Three

The breeze still blows about,

Carrying your voice far above,

The chaotic world burning beneath.

Confusion, hatred, anger, seethe.

But only your words still remains clear

Only you, I still can hear

Above all other noise

I still can hear your

Angelic voice.  
  


Lost and alone...

Alone...

And empty...

I almost didn't hear the sound of the book hit the smooth wooden ground. It sounded almost deafening, yet at the same time, muted. Like a muffled bell. It was unbearable. But then, everything got darker, as if the lonely library wasn't dark enough already. 

The soft thud of my body hitting the ground, briefly echoed by a small gold cross, torn from my throat, skidding across the smooth floorboards.

[backflash]

It was bright out, he can tell even though the room they were in was hundreds of feet below the ground. The little boy sighed as he turned his attention back to the man standing in front of them. He was telling them something... about gravity? It was boring.

The little boy sighed again as he played with his long brown braid. The people at the institution didn't want him to keep it. They said that it gave him a much too casual look for a soldier in training. 

"Duo," they would always say. "Do you have any idea how much money was invested in your creation? Don't mess up!"

He hated that too. Like his entire life was based on freak experiment. Yes, he understood that much. It wasn't like they were hiding anything. Even his name, Duo, constantly reminded him of it. It meant 2 in Latin, representing his status number in the group ES-02-180. Elite stage, number 2, created in year 180 AC. Life was so unfair. He'll bet, that up there, in the real world, five year old don't have to go through all this work...!

"DUO!"

The unfortunate boy jumped up as a loud booming voice interrupted his thoughts... well, complaints. Smiling sweetly, he confronted the instructor. "Yes, sir?"

The tall man frowned. Duo knew that he wasn't pleased. Neither were the other people in the small class. Although they were a hell lot better than the regulars, who, in his opinion, were nothing more than zombies, they still had this... this thing!... for strictness.

"See me after class."

The braided boy sighed again, silently this time, as he caught a glance of disproval from one of the other students, Heero. And Quatre... of the more, lively ones... gave him a look of sympathy.

"Yes, sir" he replied in a tired tone.

***

"I don't see how you can be so 'perfect' all the time!" Duo glared as he bit into the sandwich... and then grimaced at the horrible taste. Like everything else their little lives came in contact with, all their food and drinks were specially formulated to maintain their strength, stamina, mental and physical health. To be short, it taste like shit.

"At least I'm not an annoying little brat." Heero glared back, his childish face set into its usual scowl. His voice was too serious for its alto boyish tone.

It took both Quatre and Trowa, another one of their companions, to keep Duo from strangling Heero, there and then. Quatre shook his head, his baby blond hair tousled around his small delicate face. "You know, Duo, Heero does have a point. At least you use to *act*... well, quiet and ... well like Heero, over there," Quatre paused for a moment, pondering at his choice of words as he caught glance of the object of his comparison. The Prussian eyed boy was seriously going to start drilling holes in the wall with his glare. Quatre cleared his throat, nervously. "Duo..."

"Ack! Alright already, Quatre, I get your point!" Duo pouted. "I used to act... the way I'm supposed to, I guess because I was so young. But now, it's different."

"You're restless" Wufei, the dark haired boy contributed.

He nodded. Wufei was right, he almost always is when it came to intuitions and stuff. Duo *was* restless, he didn't know why. Maybe the researchers and scientists *did* mess up when they made him.

For a moment he almost wish it were true. It didn't take a genius to figure out that none of them, the workers, really gave a damn about anything other than their own well-being. If Duo wasn't one of their newest 'experiments' they would have never tolerated his behavior and would have had him 'fixed' long ago. The little boy shuddered at the thought. If that did happen, he would end up like the 'regulars', a name they use to refer to the first batches of 'artificial humans' the scientists created. The 'regulars' have no mind of their own. They would do anything their creators asked, no free will.

True, they have no use now, but as soon as the war reached a certain point of disparity, these 'people' would be sent out to fight. They were easily replaced and no one would miss them. Duo felt sorry for them.

But if the war does eventually reach that point, *they* would be sent out as well. As pilots or assassins to take care of jobs that required a mind... what would happen to him then? Duo didn't know the answer. Maybe after a while, experiments like himself would be replaceable as well.

"Duo, daijoubu?"

The addressed boy looked up to see a pair of concerned blue eyes. "Sure, Heero, why wouldn't I be?"

Heero shook his head, not as a gesture of denial, but more of just an expression of... confusion. "I... I didn't mean what I said before..."

Duo's eyes widen for a moment, but then covered the surprise with a slight smile. Reaching up he ruffled the other's dark hair. "If you're trying to say sorry, well, don't."

Before the other could respond, the braided boy retreated towards the door. "G' night guys." He didn't bother to turn around to see the other's reaction, or what the rest of them made of he and Heero's little exchange. Frankly, he really didn't care *what* anyone else thought about, it all.

Duo paused in the hallway outside. He didn't know where he wanted to go now. The department was huge, but because of his young age, he was confined to the small section of his division. Duo started jogging; it doesn't matter where he ends up.

Really, it doesn't. It was times like this when *nothing* really matters. When he's just so overwhelmed with confusion, that the only thing on his mind is... well... nothing at all. He glanced around as he ran through the hall. The walls and ceiling were all made from sleek metal. Nothing interesting. He wanted to... go up, to the surface and see the sun and the people... and trees and grass... Just to be carefree like a kid his age should be...

Duo sighed tugging on his braid. He really didn't have time for all this self-pity. Hell! He wasn't *programmed* to have self-pity or any of these unnecessary emotions. He was just su-

Suddenly the violet-eyed boy paused. Pressing his hands against the wall, he struggled to hear. Something was... trembling?

Then with a force he had never known... even in all his trainings, he was knocked to his feet as the walls around him collapsed. Metal screeched against metal as oil pipes cracked, jumping into flames as the light bulbs shattered leaving the hall lit by only the fire.

Duo, with all his installed instincts and taught knowledge jumped to his feet, avoiding the falling debris, quick and lithe as a cat. He had no idea what was happening. This has never happened before. This *shouldn't* happen! The place was guarded more than the gates of hell! Running through the now collapsing hall, he struggled to reach the main grounds, there had to be an explanation.

When he finally reached the main gathering hall, all he saw where bodies. Bodies of instructors, classmates, and people he didn't know. It was clear that they were shot, execution style. Blood, limps and other unidentified things littered the ground. Suddenly, it hit him what had happened. The base must have been attacked. Though the organization should have been a secret, someone, maybe one of those pesky human rights groups had informed the enemy. The enemy country that is. They, who ever the enemy is, would want to stop them because if all these soldiers *were* ever released into battle, they wouldn't stand a chance. So obviously, they would want to end the organization when it doesn't have a fighting chance.

Duo seethed in anger. Those damn cowards! Then, he froze. What about Heero, Quatre, Wufei and Trowa?! Were they still alive? Tears welled up in his bright violet eyes. Oh no, what if they were, down there, one of the bodies?!

"HEERO! QUATRE! GUYS! Where are you?!"

It seemed senseless to go out screaming like this when the enemies would still be around. But he didn't care anymore. He wandered towards where he had left them, the cafeteria. He wandered around the fallen tables. Meals knocked to the ground, suggesting someone was hasty to escape. Suddenly, he felt someone tugging at his braid. Looking down, his eyes welled with relief.

"Heero!!"

The Prussian eyed boy looked really beaten. His clothes were scorched by the fire and his leg looked broken. And a huge bruise covered his forehead. "Duo... you're alright."

Duo nodded swallowed a light sob. It wouldn't fit to cry in front of Heero like... a kid. "Come on. We gotta get outa here! Everyone's dead." He slipped Heero's arm over his shoulders trying to carry him out of the wreckage.

Heero shook his head. "I know. They came after you left. It was... it was so fast. We didn't stand a chance. They gathered everyone in the main hall, but Quatre and the others got out. They carried me back here, where it'll be safe for a while, I asked them to leave me behind. My leg is broken, so I'd just hinder them."

He almost dropped the dark haired boy. "You asked them to do WHAT?!"

Heero sighed. "It was for security. Long ago, they, the scientists, told me that if anything like this ever happens, one of us has to live to tie up the loose ends. To get rid of all the evidence and witnesses." Duo looked confused. "I was too, so I asked them, but all they said was that if I were the surviving ones, I would know what to do when the times comes."

"So you thought that if you can't survive, then at least help the other three to?!" Duo sighed with frustration as he helped Heero down the hallway towards the elevator that would lead them out. The hallways were dark now, cast only in fiery red. "You BAKA!"

Heero sighed again. He was about to reply when the screeching sound of metal against metal came from above. The two looked up just in time as a huge crack in the ceiling broke apart into thousands of metal fragments piercing through the white paint like a scalpel through skin. Oil pipes mixed with frayed wires and burst into crackling flames, which reflected off the metallic walls, giving the small hall a surrealistic and ghostly look. It was like a living nightmare; something that would sent you waking up in the night in pure terror. No, it was terror itself. The two boys never got a chance to utter a word, and if they did, the fires and explosions would have swallowed it. 

Duo didn't know what to do. It was probably the end, right there and then. But does it really matter? Did his life mean anything at all, so that it would be worth grieving for its loss? No one else would. No one else knows him, and still lives... maybe Quatre, Trowa and Wufei. And Heero? Was he still there? All he could see was whiteness, and heat. The kinda fire that's so hot that its no longer red, or blue, but pure white. Like the stars he's heard about, but never seen.

Whiteness. It doesn't really matter anymore, he thought. It was something he could deal with. He's always known it. His earlier memories were those inside the tall glass cylinders, filled with the pale blue liquid. Cut off from the world, floating in an icy hell. But someone had come. He remembered, though details escape his mind. Someone had given him more than the consistency of the icy blue.

When he left the watery grave, he had thought it was the end. But now, he's there again, only this time, its fire.

Duo took a deep shuddering breath, or at least he thought he did. He couldn't feel anything other then the burning whiteness. Creeping up his skin and flesh. This must be the end...

Is it?

It all faded away until all he could grasp at was that last image of Heero, a pleading look in his eyes. But then that faded away too. And then... and then there wasn't anything else to hold on too.

My lord, why have you forsaken me...? 

[end of backflash]

***

"Baka! WAKE UP!"

Huh?! I found myself sitting in bed drawing in shuddering breaths. It took more than a few minutes for my scrambled brain to figure out where I was. Sleepily, I rubbed my eyes.

Then I froze. Wait... wasn't I at the library? "Heero? What am I doing here?"

Heero gave me a weird look. He had already returned to his computer and began typing with speed that I was surprised smoke didn't start coming outa the keyboard. "Where else would you be? You *were* studying, but you fell asleep."

I sat up; pushing away the empty boxes of treats and chips. "But... I went to the library remember?"

Heero actually TURNED AROUND. He gave me a look that pretty said it all. "Baka, you were probably dreaming. You didn't leave the room."

"B-but..." he didn't even look at me, Heero-dear was already entangled in his obsessive habit of testing how fast he can type without having the computer blow up... or have ME blow up, with anger.

I looked around me. Everything was the way it was before. I didn't have my jacket on, and my cross is still around my neck. What had happened? Maybe it WAS all just a dream. The library, the book and that... those, images from... my past?

I rubbed my hands against my arms, trying to drive away the sudden chill.

What had happened?

***

I looked around me. Everything was the way it was before. I didn't have my jacket on, and my cross still hung around my neck. What had happened? Maybe it WAS all just a dream. The library, the book and that... those, images from... my past?

I rubbed my hands against my arms, trying to drive away the sudden chill.

What had happened?

"Heero, are you sure I didn't leave?" It really disgusted me, how pathetic I sounded. Really. If it weren't for the traumatized mood I was in, it'd be enough to knock my entire line of faith from right under my feet. Which actually isn't much... but I digress.

Heero sighed. "Yes, I am." It bothered me more than it should. Then again, maybe it was just the tone of voice he was using. He sounded like he was trying to convince a little kid that there wasn't any monsters under his bed. Well, I wasn't convinced. In my book, you just don't believe people who swear they saw something while at the same time, have their noses buried in a laptop- lost to the world. It just isn't very convincing.

And then, almost as if he read my mind, Heero reached over, shutting down the computer in an almost apologetic way. "Duo... mind telling me what happened?" He walked towards the bed, sitting by the edge where the sheets weren't littered with stuff.

For some reason that unnerved me more than I'd like to admit. Crawly off the bed in almost mechanical jerks, I wrapped a long wool quilt around me, rubbing the soft cloth against my bare arms. It was too cold to still be wearing just a tank top. Ok, so I lie, the heater managed to keep the room in a comfortable temperature. But still. I've always loved snuggling with anything warm and fuzzy, especially now that I felt so desolate and lost.

I strolled towards the sliding glass doors, which lead to the balcony. Sliding the doors open, I stepped outside and immediately thanked -whatever gods that still existed in my mind- that I had wrapped the quilt around me. Despite the fact that it *was* freezing, I think this is becoming my favorite place in the dorm. Reasons ranging from a nice view to a quick escape. I peered over the edge. Ok scratch that last one. I didn't feel like breaking any bones tonight, which, unlike most... er... hobbies, experience *doesn't* lead to preference. 

I sighed again, about to walk back inside. Turning away from my problems ain't gonna make them go away. I've learned that much from experiences. The only thing that *will* make things better would be to find out what the hell has been happening. I need to ask Heero what had happened... that night.

Avoiding the problem wasn't going to make it go away either.

Closing my eyes against the biting breeze, I took a shuddering breath. I have to ask him...

"Heero...?"

"Hai?" I head him answer from not far behind me.

"Why are you alive? Why am I alive?" That's the way to go. Blunt and straight to the point. But then again, as of right now, I don't think I can't think of another way to put it.

"Duo... what happened?" He sounded concerned, but it was so subtle that no one but me could have possibly noticed the softness in his voice.

I felt my breath catch in my throat. All in a rush, like some dam breaking loose, the story began. I had meant to tell him only after he had told me HIS story, but all the other time, I couldn't keep it back.

I found myself sobbing out the entire story. From that first day, when we were attacked, it had seemed so far away! That day when it was still spring and everyone was alive- when everything was still *normal*!

I told him about the dream, and photo book, even Andre.

Throughout the entire ramble, Heero didn't utter a single word, only leaned against the glass door, casting his shadow upon the smooth surface.

"Heero" I found myself asking, "When will things be alright again?"

Will anything *ever* be all right again?

Heero lifted his head for the first time since I started talking. The pale winter moonlight caste an almost bruising light on his cheeks. "I think you can answer that yourself. You know the whole story, now."

I felt my eyes widen. He knew...? Does that mean it was all real? The dream? I glanced down at my hands, then, I'm some sorta... 

... but why didn't he tell me?! "You KNEW? And you never told me?"

Heero sighed, answering in a tone that sounded like it was rehearsed over and over again, to perfection in words, but empty of meaning. "Duo, I only found out myself after that... night. I woke up in some type of hospital created by a division of what I believe to be the current decent of the group which attacked us that day 10 years ago. They had managed to track us, the 5 remaining survivors down."

Suddenly, I looked up. "But the others. What about them?"

"I... don't know" Heero tactfully turned away. "Maybe... maybe I shouldn't have come back. I should have just let things go."

"AND WHERE WOULD THAT HAVE LEFT ME?!" I hadn't realized that I damn near screaming until I saw Heero jump with surprise. Lowering my voice, I muttered bitterly "rotting in some damn hellhole, that's where."

"Duo..."

I waved my hand, trying to dismiss the subject. "It's too late. Just forget it." Walking back to the warmth of the room, I sighed. It's weird. Just a few months back, I woulda probably been laughing my head off, seeing Heero acting as meekly as he does now. But at the moment, it just scared me. Scared me like everything else did now.

"Duo... I'm sorry."

I didn't turn around until I heard the light catch of the lock. Acknowledging the fading footsteps down the hall outside, I finally collapsed onto the couch, gathering the light woven blanket around me.

"It's too late..."

[backflash]

It was dark, and probably a lot of other things too, but the only thing he could see was darkness. Well... that and the dark slim figure that stationed himself at the torpedo station. 

It didn't seem particularly important to Duo at the moment. It was probably just some maintenance person on a late check. He glanced from the shadowing silhouettes to his watch. Only 5 more minutes till Deathscythe and that other Gundam he picked up arrives.

No time to waste on some flicker of imagination.

Picking up his light pack, he prepared to slide down the sidebars towards where the suits will most likely ashore. But before he made it over the sides, he spared the figure one last glance. But this time he had a girl, who was not previously there, pinpointed by a gun and annoyed glare.

Point blank shot... won't be much left of that. Duo snickered. Every brain cell that remembered what Father and Sister taught him screamed for the dark clad boy to intervene and save the poor girl, but common sense warned against it.

Deathscythe was almost here, he argued with himself, and besides, anyone stupid enough to wander around a military base in a dress as ostentatious as that piece of junk damn well deserved to have a hole in her head... ok make that a _couple_ of holes.

Turning back on course, he prepared to leave... but something was amiss. The air had a tight hold to it, even a bit smothering. Glancing around, all Duo could scarcely make out a slight figure walking towards him. Quickly, he drew his gun from its holster and took aim. It fired, but no sound came... and the figure came closer.

"There is another more deserving of that bullet..." The voice seemed to tilt and change... from a dark serious voice to one that held a sweet tone, and then it became serious again, but unemotional this time. And back and forth, from one to another, as if its owner can't seem to find a right fit.

Filled with horror and disbelief, he took aim and fired again. But this time, there was a loud shot, followed by the expected sickening thud. And the scream of a girl... all in which cleared Duo's vision to painful clarity.

Sprawled before him was not some dark figure, but the boy he had observed before, and standing by the fallen one was the unmistakable glare of blue.

Before he could put his confusion into words, he realized that he was already speaking and that he had been for quite a while.

"...are you ok lady?"

She was saying something back to him... screaming in fact, but he didn't hear her anymore. Instead, his eyes were locked on those of the bleeding boy.

A spark of memory touched his mind like that of a hot coal filled with ice. 

_You..._

_ _

_It's you..._

_ _

__The voice of the girl was lost in a swirl. Duo got the impression that he was saying something himself... but that was lost too.

_Where have you been?_

_It's you..._

The swirl turned on it self again as he watched the guy launched himself at the torpedoes, setting it off before leaping into the water.

"Ninmu Kanryo..."

He could hear his voice from the deck. Voice that touched his mind like the fragrance of some long lost memory...

[end of flashback]

***

I fingered the photo with remorse. It was the one that she gave me, Relena when we had met before I got my memory back...

I finally remember where I first saw the picture. It was a morning, like right now, it must have been right after a mission, cause I remember being tired and not caring about anything except getting some sleep at last.

But it was waiting for me. The picture. It was propped against a thick cream-colored envelope smiling at me through the morning gloom.

I've always wondered how it got there. Heero kept denying that it was him but... well, it hadn't seem like much of a point to argue.

That was right before we were called away for that final battle where Heero self-destructed.

Something happened to the picture after that. Somehow Relena must have gotten hold of it.

It was ironic like hell. That a picture could have survived all that had happened while half the people in it didn't. Like a bad joke. But then again life it self was a bad joke.

I tucked the smooth slip of memory away.

***

The gravel slid beneath my sneakers as I skid across the road towards Grace. I've only met her a few times, but I'm pretty sure she's in at least one of Heero's classes.

"Hey! Have you seen Heero lately? He hasn't been back to his room for almost half a week." As much as I hate admitting it, I was a bit worried. It wasn't like Heero to just disappear all of a sudden without any notice...

OK, that was a flat out lie. But I'm still a bit worried. A discreet cough turned my 10-second attention span turned back to the red-headed girl.

"Heero? I dun think so. Ya know it's actually kinda weird. I mean, he never cuts class without sending in a notice. Did something happen to him? Is he sick? He hasn't moved away has he? Everyone's so worried, you must be too..."

Somewhere throughout her ramble, I must have faded out cause the next thing I remember was catching something... or rather someone, dart between the trees and bushes beyond the road we were standing on. Slowing I found myself walking towards the edge of the pebbled ground and towards that faint shadow I saw.

"... Duo-kun! Duo-kun!" The annoying chirps finally caught my attention again.

"Huh?"

"Where are you going? You haven't answered my questions!"

Questions? "Er... yes!"

She gave me a weird look.

"I mean 'no'!"

She gave me a weirder look. " You haven't listened to a single thing I said, have you?"

My eyes focused on the trees behind her again. I needed to follow the person.

"...I asked you 'if you had any idea where he might be.'"

It might have something to do with Heero. It was a weird idea but somehow it just stuck in my mind.

"...and you're still not listening to me..."

Oh boy will I strangle him when I find that baka. He had no right no scare me like that. 

"DUO!"

"Yes!" I turned to her, blurting out the first thing that came to mind.

"Oh I give up! Go find him yourself!" Grace. shunned away, _stalking_ down the road with enough fume to heat up the school. _And_ dorms.

What did I do?

***

ACK!

I grimaced as a thick branch smacked against my face as I tumbled non-too gracefully through the non-too existing path.

Between all the last few weeks of my life, I think I've got enough hiking-experiences to last me a lifetime. Not to mention the bruises to prove it.

A flitting shadow between grooves of trees put an end to my whining. Darting towards I cursed my slow reaction. At this rate, I'll never get to the bottom of this and be semi-normal again.

Heero no ba-

Putting _that_ thought on hold for the moment, I made a futile grab for nearby branches, as the forest floor seemed to rise up to my face as I tumbled down.

"Itaiiiii."

I twisted around, trying to see what had ensnared my foot. It was a metal bar, and upon further inspection, I suddenly seemed to take the form of a handle as the rest of the object appeared from beneath the dirt and leaves.

Pulling my foot out, I got on my knees, using my hands to brush away the rest of the debris that was hiding the object.

It was some sorta trap door. The wooden surface seemed to melt into the surrounding so that it would be nearly impossible to spot it unless you literally trip over it. Which I of course did.

Bracing my feet against a dent in the ground, I pulled on the handle, trying to raise the heavy door. After finally moving it against the worn out hinges, I was dismayed to see yet another set of doors, and this time it was metal.

I'm an idiot! The wooden part of the door was obviously just a façade to hide the real thing. I approached the second set of door with a bit more caution. The rusted surface suggested that it hadn't been used for a long time, but the basic design and structure of the door had a strange resemblance to those used in military bases.

Bracing against the floor once more, I twisted the metal bars as they slowly began to turn on their hinges and open the door. The opening gaped up at me like something from a nightmare. Shards of glass littering the bottom of entry gleamed up like stars on a dark night.

Slipping over the edge I drew a deep breath. This was it... 

I felt the glass and splinters of wood crunch beneath my feet as I ducked down in order to pass through the low door. Squinting through the darkness, I felt a sudden rush of claustrophobic fear. It seemed familiar... somehow, despite the fact that everything was still in the shadows.

Shadows... hidden, like the skeleton in the closet. Something was here, something still is, or at least a fading shadow of it. But sometimes, the shadows are the worst part.

Shadows.

Almost as if by some inborn instinct, I started walking through the darkness. Following some unseen path as more glass and other fragments broke with every step before I finally came to a halt.

Before I could stop, words began to slip from my lips, words that seemed familiar, words that were once repeated over and over again. Words that felt like home.

Sounds of machinery whirled around me as a sliver of light fell upon my face. The wall before shifted, opening to a huge vast room, which started several stories beneath where I stood.

For a while, I just stood there in shock. There was no living person here. You could tell from the dust that layered the floor. From the floor that little with evidences of the horror that had once occurred here.

But other than that, it seemed as if this place... this building, was all prepared for it's residents and workers to return. Automatic computers began to flicker on for the first time in years and everything came to life...

It reminded me of a story I read once, a story about a world where mankind's own weapons been their destruction. But amidst the rubble and death, a house still remained. It's computers running it as if the residents were sitting before the eaten plates. Laughing at the unseen TV. Sleeping in the untouched beds.

It was a graveyard. Then I realized. The pieces fell together.

"It _is_ a graveyard. _My_ graveyard..."

Shuffles came from behind me. 

"It is... isn't it?"

----------------------------------------------------------------------

AN: hehe like? Please review!! =D I'll try to write more asap ^___^


	4. Phase Four

Angelic Voice

Angelic Voice

By Hachi Mitsu 

07.09.01

Phase Four

The breeze still blows about,

Carrying your voice far above,

The chaotic world burning beneath.

Confusion, hatred, anger, seethe.

But only your words still remains clear

Only you, I still can hear

Above all other noise

I still can hear your

Angelic voice.  
  


AN: whoooah, for those who had been keeping track of the Blood Red – Angelic Voice series for about a year now, I think I'm finally going to end it ;_; sad sad sad, very sad =( I think I'm going to have this, and then an epilogue just to tie up all loose ends… geez, an entire year!!!

Ooo brings back nice memories… *sigh* this summer sucks, I have to take classes AND work!! Last summer I only had to... er... take classes and work... um... never mind .

Anyways, enjoy this last (?) full chapter of Angelic Voice! (btw – read the little note at the end concerning sequel – what happens – and explanation… etc)

"It's like gathering for the final scene... here I am, after all those years of searching, and here _you_ are, you're dead, but you're still here."

"Duo..."

"_Shut up!!!_ You were _never_ alive! You lied!!! The entire time!!" I felt my voice break beneath the screaming. I wanted to hate him so badly. I couldn't... when I spoke again, I could hardly hear my own voice "Why did you have to die?"

I turned around to look into the emotionless eyes of Heero, or who I thought to be Heero. His eyes were quiet, analyzing and deliberate, just like when I first, or rather believed to be the first, time I met him at the military base.

"I died- no, _Heero_ died that first night, when he fell into the sea." He explained, as if reading my thoughts. "He didn't know anything about this, about your past. Then again, maybe he did... But I- I was so lost, I didn't know who I was, but _I_ knew about the past, and I still had things to take care of."

"How are you?"

I turned around in time to catch a flicker of pain in his eyes. "Don't you remember? In the cell?"

"Andre" A sad smile tugged on my lips. "So you did die..."

A shrug. "What was I to expect? I died a long time ago, and for the longest eternity, I was lost, I didn't know who I was, why I was still around. And then, I saw you, I saw you shooting Heero to protect the girl and I started to remember. I remembered the dusty days in the library, the afternoon sun filtering through the stain-glass windows. I remembered the excitement of after people, trying to find information. I remembered the despair and death... but then, I remembered being given another chance! The soft hum of the machinery, the watery grave, but another chance... I didn't know it then, but it was more than anything I could possibly have hoped for... what I wouldn't give now to be there again, even though I had hated it then, up until that last moment, I had hated it. But now? I die all over again to be sitting in that chair hundreds of feet underground..."

There was something important that he's saying which I'm missing. I know it. But I can't tell what it is. Something that I _have_ to know... 

He continued, leaning over a rusted railing. "When that happened, I realized that even though I was no longer... myself, I still had my chance." He paused, and frowned. "I don't know why I did. I didn't deserve yet another chance, I really didn't! But I woke up in a hospital tied down onto that metal _thing_." He turned to me almost desperate to make a point. "So you see? Duo Maxwell never really met Heero Yuy."

"But back then, before they destroyed this place" I waved my hands around the wreckage around me "wasn't that the real Heero?"

It was his turn to smile sadly. "But that weren't really Duo Maxwell, now was it? At least not who you are now..."

"What do you mean?"

"If you can't figure it out by yourself, then maybe you shouldn't know..." His eyes glazed over, just a bit, as if he was seeing into another place, another time. "Listen, can you hear them gathering? The thoughts of your friends. No, the final scene ended a long time ago, they're only reappearing for their bow... Isn't it iroinic? It was here where it all began and ended, the hopes the dreams of light. And then years and years later, it ended all over again in a little club house sitting above where it all started."

I started to cry suddenly, quiet sobs as I remembered that night. "Why?"I whispered, I don't think he heard me, but that was ok, it wasn't really meant for anyone to hear.

"I hope you'll forgive them someday. It wasn't really their fault. The people who made them... made you, programmed all of you to forget everything if their cover was ever blown. You were programmed to detect traces of memories from those like you and to destroy them if they do remember. Maybe Heero had remembered you, maybe you didn't shoot him because of that girl. Maybe you shot him because you couldn't help it. Do you still remember that feeling of helplessness? If you can, then maybe you'll find it in your heart to forgive them. They were your friends after all."

But why did they attack? I didn't remember anything back then.The dreams must have triggered it. Dreams... all just dreams, I wanted to believe that so badly. I can remember it now, that cold bitter night years and years ago, wandering around starving before Solo found me, before I lost him too. Before I became Duo Maxwell, and in a way, all over again. No it wasn't a dream. The stage is set, but will anyone still come? "What will you do now?"

He shrugged. "I died centuries ago, what does it matter now? It's gone a full circle... I'm back where I started out. Maybe I'll go and find out who destroyed this place, but what good will that do?"

His voice was so bleak and lost, not like the Heero I knew... but then again who was the Heero I knew? He turned to leave.

"Goodbye Duo." The voice was emotionless again, the mask back on. But the finality of the words cut through me like a knife. I felt like crying again even though I had promised myself years ago I would never. Another thing coming to an end I guess. I turned back to the railing just cause I don't think I could stand seeing him leave yet again.

"Andre?"

There was a slight pause. For a moment I feared that he had left already. But the familiar smoothness of his quiet voice washed over me.

"Yes?"

A ghost of a smile lit my face.

"Say hello to Heero for me"

There was a pause again. I imagine that he might have smiled too, or nodded. The footsteps continued until they were swallowed by the sound of machinery waking from their long sleep, drowned out by the crying of the souls. And so the curtain closes, but there's no applause, only an unrest silence.

***

The sunlight drenched the balcony with life, but inside it was dark and cold. Heero's stuff was gone as if it were never there, leaving the room lifeless. I didn't want to stay here anymore, yet I don't know where I want to go. 

The sun sank a bit more, casting a ray of light through the branches and onto something sitting on the desk that I hadn't noticed before. It was the book I had found in the library last night. I opened it to the page where a piece of paper was tucked in, it wasn't a paper, it was a picture. It was the group picture, a little torn and still a bit stained with tears it would have seemed dead, but the light glazed it with a warm red making it seem so... alive. I looked down, lost in the sea of little squares of black and white pictures, I picked out my face. Smiling optimistically. Below it were the usual set of numbers and information, but beneath _that_ was something I hadn't seen the first time. 

**Class A: Duo Andre**

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AN: oooo! I'm writing an epilogue to tie up all loose ends as well as a little explanation to explain the story a bit since I can imagine how confused lots of you must be o.O;;

And guys! Please review with suggestions of how to end it. Seriously anything you want, I'll even try bringing some people back if you want ^^;; if I get enough interesting suggestions, I might even write a sequel! Of a prequel of something ^___^

Kk, so please review!!


	5. Special Section

Angelic Voice

Angelic Voice

By Hachi Mitsu 

07.09.01

Notes on Angelic Voice

Ok, as promised I'm going to explain what has happened so far the before the final epilogue! If you still have questions I would gladly answer them, if you leave them in the review that'd be great cause then I can answer it for everyone. But anyways, here we go.

I.Angelic Voice began in Blood Red almost a year ago (in real time as well as story time) when Duo and the rest of the gang were at a boarding school. Duo started having weird dreams when he and Heero were attacked by 3 gunmen. Of course they had no idea it was targeted at them until Heero was kidnapped.

II.Ok phase two of the story starts. When Duo goes to find him because of the note, he first meats Andre. Andre tells him where Heero is, and Duo just assumes that he was the one who ordered the attack. But of course in retrospect, we know that Andre WAS Heero all along (this will be explained later) and WUFEI gave the letter to Duo, being the gunmen in the first place!

III.I don't think anything else in Blood Red requires an explanation except the epilogue. Duo lost his memory, in case you haven't realized and Heero didn't die.

IV.In Angelic Voice Duo regains his memory and starts to remember stuff from his childhood before meeting Solo. OK here's the important part! The 5 pilots were among the hundreds of children created in the laboratory of which Duo was remembering of. His dreams about being under water is about when he was being basically still raised in an artificial environment, before being 'born'.

V.Now here's when everyone starts getting confused. Can you ever remember ONE time, EVER when Duo actually sees Andre? No, of course not because Andre is sorta like a spirit who took up the place of Heero. The real Heero died on the ship deck when he jumped into the water after Duo shot him to keep him from killing Relena. (I'll explain this later too) Right before that happened Duo remembered seeing a phantom thingy, that was Andre. 

VI.Ok, so that's cleared up. Now you're probably asking, who would Andre become Heero? Well remember that last part of the last chapter? Duo saw his picture in the book and it said Duo Andre? And remember how Andre claimed he remembered that laboratory place when he was supposed to have been dead for a long time? Well, Andre is Duo, sorta.

VII.If you remember the story Andre told Duo in the cell, well, to make the story short, Andre read about a place that was destroyed that created children to fight in wars. When he started digging into more stuff people started dying because the organization was rediscovered by some people who rebuilt it. He was killed while trying to figure it out, but was 'given another chance' as he kept telling Duo in the last chapter. He born (reincorporated?) as Duo one of the elite 5 creations (the other 4 being the other pilots). I'm not quite sure what Andre is, but when the place was destroyed so was Andre, so I guess you can say that Andre is the collection of all the pilot's souls (or memories) because in a sense, they have no souls. 

VIII.Duo and the other pilots obviously escaped after their 'home' was destroyed and was adopted/found/..etc by their various 'families'. Their memories were erased with the destruction of the laboratory and left with only the embedded program that if they ever encounter someone who DOES remember, they have to destroy them. So Quatre was given to the Winners who were led to believe that he really was theirs, Wufei by his family, Trowa wandered with no memories of anything until he was found by the mercenaries, Heero discovered by Dr. J and Duo by Solo. (OK, OK! I know their names are a little messed up, but they had different names in Duo's memories, he just only referred to them by their current names to make my life easier). Their various crazy scientists discovered their fighting abilities and gave them MS's, the Gundams, they were created to pilot MS's (Mobile Suits) that's why they're so darn good at it!

IX.Well, the only thing left to explain is why they're all so set on killing each other. Duo shot Heero the first time they met because Heero sorta recognized him and remembered bits and pieces. Duo's inner program kicked in and was set on killing Heero (hence the reason he felt so hazy) Andre showed up because he's the collection of all the pilots, when they got separated he 'dispersed' when Heero met, Duo, Andre sorta started reassembling again. Quatre, Wufei and Trowa tried to kill Duo because he started to remember with those dreams. Heero wasn't effected because he wasn't really Heero.

Kk, I think that does it! If you have any more questions feel free to ask! I'm gonna be posting the epilogue soon! AND I will be dedicating to the five people who leaves the BEST suggestions in the review!! You'll find out who you are when I post it (probably Monday which would be exactly one year from the day when I posted the first completed chapter of Blood Red). Ironically, it started out, meant to be a comical story… whoah… wow… that was one great year! I guess it's fair to say that the plot changed with me throughout the year =)

Well, sent those reviews, suggestions, criticisms in! =D

-mitsu


	6. Epilogue

Angelic Voice

Angelic Voice

By Hachi Mitsu 

07.17.01

Epilogue

AN: aww shoot, I dragged this on long enough... here's the last installment of Angelic Voice. Thanks to all you who have read and reviewed (those at ff.net and the original ones at the various MLs I first posted Blood Red and Angelic Voice at). I'm gonna dedicate this final section to 3 people who had kept me going since the first chapter – Sandy aka Enigma- maybe someday we will finally post that fic we were working on for so long; Silver Vixen- for your support that I'm so grateful for; MorningStar- geez, without you, this thing wouldn't be written, I probably would have never started on fanfics in the first place!! I seemed like only yesterday that I made you stay up until 3 in the morning reading Blood Red o.O;; did we ever finish those vocabs that we were suppose to be studying? Thanx for being there for me to rant to with all my ideas and inspirations, and not killing me when I stopped writing for all those months =)

Note: to anyone interested, the poem used can be found under 'Angelic Voice – Poem' 

Well, without further ado, here is the final scene, enjoy...

Far throughout my prayer to the heaven,

Deep in my heart, the heart you leaden.

The sky was the deep rich blue of the ocean. It was a color you'd never forget, rooted deep into your mind for as long as you live. The golden sunlight filter calmly through the leaves casting shadows onto the crowds of people gathering in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the war. 

I think there still lives a soul of sorts,

A life, a dream and burning cores.

The war... no one could forget a war like that. The countless dead, dreams lost in the smoke of the bombs, the fires. But eventually everyone would move on. They have to, they're only humans. And humans would go to great lengths to forget the sadness of the past.

The storm still blows about,

Carrying my cries far above,

He stood there beneath the protecting arms of the ancient tree observing the people gathering around. One of the nearby boarding schools had allowed their students to attend the event, as opposed to spending the day in class, an opportunity that didn't go to waste. Thus little groups of teenagers soon dotted the mainly old veteran populated area.

The chaotic world collapsing beneath

Confusion, hatred, anger, seethe.

The war... it brought back to much bad memories... but the memories seemed like dreams. Standing there in the cool shades, it felt so unreal.

Only, he didn't know what was unreal, the war, or the fact that he was standing here again. There was a little bald spot in the grass, a few rusting poles and splinters of wood and bricks suggested that there once was a building here, a small one, but one that had changed everything.

But only your words can reach my ears,

You are the only I ever will hear,

The little secret was buried under ground again, the electronic lives put to sleep, perhaps for the final time. There was no one left to wake them again. The curtains have fallen and the skeleton was back in the closet.

Above all other dissenting noise,

I still can hear your angelic voice.

The wind ruffled his short already messy chestnut colored hair. And when the sunlight hit the soft locks, it gleamed a gentle blonde, but where the shadows reside, it looked almost like a velvety black. His brooding eyes reflected a similar iridescence, flashing a bright purple which faded into aqua blue and green with the shifting light, at last settling to a blue so dark that seemed black. 

But it takes more to take away the pain,

And it takes more to stop the rains.

His eyes shifted through the crowds of people again. Why was he here? Why was he back here? His eyes settled on a group of high school kids sitting on some benches that lined the edge of the road which ran through the little park. 

There were five of them, each distinctive in his own way. The first one was talking rather loudly, trying to make his friends laugh, his unusually long hair was tucked neatly into a braid. Another, with hair of moss green and Prussian blue eyes look mildly annoyed at his friend, but grudgely refrained from commenting, unlike their tall friend with black hair and eyes who _did_ comment, and rancorously, much to the amusement of a slightly smaller boy with hair of the softest blond, like the feathers of a baby bird. Their last companion didn't join in, his green eyes quiet and observing beneath his brown bangs. 

But your words alone, I cling to still,

Like wolfs in the dead of night, going for the kill.

Their unseen observer smiled. No, he did know why he was here, why he always came back and why he always will.

Maybe not everything will always turn out right, but sometimes fate has a strange way of fixing things. Even when everything seemed to be at its last breath, sometimes miracles do happen. Wasn't he proof of it?

Just answer my call with one breath of your words,

Just one whisper will loosen the cords,

Something tangled in the grass near his feet caught a ray of light and reflected a brilliant glitter back up to him. Reaching down he plucked it out and brushed away the dirt that clung to it. It was a pendent made out of purple crystals entwined by a silver lining so that it looked like a pale rose with petals edged in silver. The metal was a bit rusted from the time on the ground, but the crystal shone beautifully.

That cling about me, taking my life,

Taking my will, my dreams for which I strive.

When he looked up, he caught long haired student giving him a strange look. For a moment before he turned away when he realized that he was caught, a flicker of intensity darkened his bright eyes. It was the look that people get when they're trying to remember something that they had buried long ago. It was the look of betrayal, yet understanding, and finally, acceptance. 

The breeze still blows about,

Carrying your voice far above,

For a split second the observer wanted to walk over and hand him the little jewel that he still clutched in his hands. It was only right. 

"Leave them alone this time ok? Let them live their own lives."

He jumped at the voice, partially out of being startled, partially out of guilt. Not bothering to turn towards the voice, he nodded, a bit uncertain at first.

The chaotic world burning beneath.

Confusion, hatred, anger, seethe.

Leaving has always been the hardest thing he ever had to do. Leaving his home so long ago, leaving his friends, leaving his life. He looked at the five smiling friends again. No, he was wrong. Because when you leave, you can always come back, and the happiest thing in the world, is coming home again.

"Andre?"

He nodded again, this time full of sincerity and certitude. Turning around he smiled, there was a slight tint of sorrow, but it was still a genuine smile. Slowly, he took a step forward and then another.

"Yeah, I promise. Let's go home now." 

But only your words still remains clear

Only you, I still can hear

The little gem slipped between his fingers, forgotten, or maybe not. It hit the ground, cushioned by the soft grass. It lay there, nestled somewhere between the ground and the vast heaven above. Twinkling between the reality and the hopes of an endless dream.

Above all other noise

I still can hear your

Angelic voice.

Fini

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AN: YESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!! It's OVER! It's over! It's over! 

Guess what? It's over! ^____^

And everyone is still, sorta alive =) thanx to Kelt for that idea 

(normally I end stories by killing everyone off ^^;;)

ANEEEEways! Little note about the ending. I'm sure we all know who the group of students are and who the 'observer' is. But what about the other person? The one that wasn't even described? 

**Here's a little idea you could be interested in.** I might be tempted to torture myself even more by writing yet another series in the Blood Red-Angelic Voice series, from Andres POV and HIS story. It would of course involve the pilots... etc, especially Duo and their time in the laboratory place ^_^

What do you think? If you leave some suggestions, ideas, inspirations... etc in the review and I end up using it, I'll sent you the first copy of the story, before I go through my debates about posting it anywhere =D

Kk, thanx everyone for reading! And please review ^_^


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